Katherine Heigl Admits She Starred in Too Many Romantic Comedies

Katherine Heigl (Izzie Stevens) surprised us all by walking away from her Grey's Anatomycontract in favor of a film career, eventually appearing in eight romantic comedies over the span of six years. And it worked out for her — for a while.

But her career started cooling off in 2010, when Killers and Life As We Know It hovered around the $100-million mark in total box office revenue.

New Year's Eve spiked at $142 million in 2011, but 2012's One For the Money and 2013's The Big Wedding didn't even break $40 million.

As Vulturereports, only 18 months elapsed between the time her name alone could convince studio execs to greenlight movies to the time they started "hiding her" in TV spots.

Now the 35-year-old tells Marie Claire UK that she didn't know when to say when: "I had an amazing time. I love romantic comedies. But maybe I hit it a little too hard. I couldn't say no. I stopped challenging myself. It became a bit by rote and, as a creative person, that can wear you down."

And she felt spurned by showbiz: "The thing that was my best friend for a long time suddenly turned on me. And I didn't expect it. I was taken by surprise and angry at it for betraying me."

Katherine took time off and even considered working on a farm or opening a knitting store — but, as it turns out, she found her comeback opportunity in the upcoming NBC show State of Affairs, for which she's the star and an executive producer.

"I feel like I'm finally rolling into the next phase of my adulthood," she muses.